Southern standard. (McMinnville, Tenn.) 1879-current, 1887-12-17
HOW THEY SAVED THE FARM.
The Old Story With Variations.


Madge, our own dear, brave, sweet
Madge, with the matronly look, al
though next to the youngest of usall.
1--WE must be brave and strong, and
put our shoulders to the wheel. We
will save the dear old farm yet"
Papa had died, leaving nothing
but rundown, sterile farm, heav-
lily mortgaged, between us and power
ty. Dear papa! But we were young
and strong, and there was mamma,
our dear sweet mamma, with the sad,
patient look in her invalid eyes-for
dear mamma had for years been an
invalid and could do nothing to help
us but sit in her invalid's chair with
her beautiful hands crossed and a
seraphic smile on her sweet face. We
kept the bitter truth about our power
ty from dear mamma, and day by day
her table was supplied with dainty
bits of this and that, the choice wines
and the rare fruit her invalid's appe-
tite craved. We girls sold our jewels,
bought for us by our dear paper be-
fore we left our lovely New York
home and moved in such haste to
this dreary old Canadian farm. For
we had known what it was to have
every wish gratified. All, me!
There were three of us-our dear
Madge, our sunny-eyed Katie and
poor little me, who, alas, had done
nothing but read novels, eat bon-bons
and dream my life away. l was the
youngest, and the foolish sisters in
dulged me on that account. 1t was
thought that my fair, sweet face and
wondrous beauty would bring me a
rich husband. but alas, it hadn't and
now l put aside my day dreams and
became woman!
"Girls, hear me. | have a plan,'
cried Madge, cheerfully clapping her
dimpled hands. "The farm shall be
ours! The chickens!"
"The chickens?" cried Katie and l.
"Ah, ha! the berries" shrieked
Madge, kissing us again. And Ka'
ties beautiful pies"
my pies?" asked Katie.
Eyes, your pies, you dear old dar'
ling, you! Now listen to me-"
And our gay little Madge, whom
none of us thought of in our trouble
unfolded a plan that made us all
laugh and cry together.
"But not a word to dear mamma
cried Madge. at would kill her i
she knew her daughters were work
Ing. Our dear, sensitive mamma
We set gayly to work that very
day. The chickens were given int
10Y care. There were four hens ant
arooster. I, in my foolish, childish
little way, laughingly stated our cast
. to them and told them they must la.
ever and ever so many beautiful egg
for us, and they all said they would
[ fed them toast with cayenne pep
per on it. I,made their quarters de
liciously clean and offered them ev
cry inducement to lay. 1t was hare
work, but what cared I for tina
when, at the end Of the second day
[ marched triumphantly into tn
little kitchen with a half-bushel has
ket filled with such beautiful eggs.
laughed and cried by turns. Madg
shouted "bravo," for eggs were 3
cents a dozen in the town a mile dis
tant.
Madge was away to the woods al
ter berries by sunrise. Great, lus
cious blackberries, with the dey
still on them. Many of them wen
into Katie's lovely pies, while other
were put into cunning little boxes
lined with the cool green leaves, an
made ready to market with our egg
a sweet, cunning little bontoniere c
flowers from our little kitchen gal
den going with each basket.
There was a railroad station clos
to our house where trains stoppe
for meals. The station-agent was a
old friend of ours, who had com
suddenly and Unexpectedly from tn
states, where we had known him {
bank cashier. But disaster ha
come upon him and the brave fellow
with the nobility of true. manhood
would work when he had to.
He kindly offered to aid us an
even offered to be our cashier, bl
our shrewed little Katie said "no.
She would be cashier herself.
A kind neighbor offered to tax
our eggs and berries to market twit
each day, and Katie and Made
themselves managed the sale of IL
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